


Right up the road

by gottalovev



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Animal Instincts, Animal Transformation, Cat Tony Stark, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, I am serious it's cuteness central, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Road Trips, and eating of prey, animal shenanigans, brief hunting scene, i have an asshole cat that i love and it shows, of sorts, wolf Steve Rogers, working together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-15 03:11:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gottalovev/pseuds/gottalovev
Summary: The day at the senate committee in Washington DC wasn't supposed to end with Tony and Steve transformed into animals by a baby witch. That said, the 350 miles trek back to the compound to get help promises to be quite an adventure too!(or the adventures of Cat!Tony and Wolf!Steve - and how to readjust when you're back to human!)





	Right up the road

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Team Handsome Art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14781200) by [MidNightTiger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidNightTiger/pseuds/MidNightTiger). 



> Another fic made for the 2018 Captain America/Iron Man Reverse Big Bang! I did mention that it's one of my favorite challenge of the year ;). Thanks again mods for the opportunity and a well run fest!
> 
> My first choice this year was the fun art by the fantastic MidNightTiger that is linked to this story - see [related work!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14781200) \- and that proved very inspiring. What can I say, it was too cute to resist!. You will see it embedded in the story. There is also a Tumblr post [here](http://mid-nighttiger.tumblr.com/post/174386527566/art-for-the-2018-captain-americairon-man-reverse) Please go gush at them!
> 
> The only warning I can think of? Animal transformation means that our faves hunt and eat their prey at one point. It's only a couple of paragraphs, skim if needed!

The headache that is starting to build behind Tony's eyes promises to be bad. It's to be expected, with a full day of senate committee hearings. It doesn't matter that Tony has gone through the whole song and dance what seems like a hundred times before, trying to make politicians see sense when it concerns superheroes and other metahuman issues is exhausting. Even when he has Captain America by his side, which let's be honest is an ace up his sleeve that he's rarely had before. He's so, so glad that for once they see relatively eye to eye.

"Are you all right?"

Tony blinks up at Steve and tries to smile even though he can feel his pulse pound like a drumbeat in his skull. "I'm fine."

Visibly that doesn't convince the good Captain who raises his brows. "You sure?"

"Just a headache coming," he confesses. He rubs at his temple and right eyebrow and yeah, he's been doing that for a couple of minutes. No wonder Steve noticed.

"Food, maybe? Lunch was a long time ago," Steve says.

"Good idea." Tony has a feeling it might also be because he didn't have enough coffee, just a cup with breakfast. Or it's just due to senators being dumbasses, again.

The pain in his skull is intensifying fast, but Tony doesn't miss how Steve frowns and then shakes his own head, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

"Steve?"

Something is not right, and visibly Steve senses it too. They've stopped walking even though they have reached the front of their hotel, and there's a defensive aura to Steve's stance as he scans their surrounding.

"Something's wrong. I haven't had a headache, apart from after a concussion, since 1941."

"Lucky you," Tony says.

They spot and then stare at a young man roughly at the same time, drawn to the fact that he looks out of place and nervous. He's maybe twenty feet ahead of them on the other side street and badly trying to blend in with the tourists. Tony would guess him to be seventeen at the oldest.

"Hey, you!" Steve exclaims and suddenly the kid is fleeing.

He ducks into an alley beside the old fire station that is now a museum, and without having to consult each other they run after him. Tony doesn't know what the kid has done, but it's worrying that it can give Steve a headache. They definitely have questions.

"I'm sorry!" the guy yells, looking terrified.

In his panic, he took a wrong turn and instead of clearing the building, he's stuck. The door he tried to slip through is locked, and his retreat in the alley is blocked by a dumpster. The young guy has turned to face them and is now moving his hands in front of his body. Tony spots blue smokey energy: shit, that's a spell in progress. He hates magic so much.

Tony has deployed the gauntlet hidden in his watch. "Stop right there and don't move!"

The young guy looks terrified. "I didn't mean-"

Fear is not unreasonable: Steve is dressed in a lovely three piece suit and not his uniform, but he's more than impressive anyway. In answer to Captain America charging him and a repulsor aimed in his direction, the kid produces even more blue magic. This is bad, real bad, but Steve is obstructing Tony's potential shot.

"What are you doing to us?" Steve barks, almost on him now.

That seems to be the witch's tipping point, who pushes his magic towards them all at once while saying "I'm sorry!" again.

The magic shockwave travels incredibly fast and even though Tony knows from experience that it's not important if it's inhaled or not, he protects his face with his elbow reflexively. It turns out not helping at all, of course, and boy this one is a doozy. Absolutely everything turns orange (Tony takes a second to feel betrayed by that for no reason at all) and then the world tilts completely and reality flickers.

The next moment, Tony's aware of several things at once: he's trapped in some sort of cloth, it smells way too much of antiperspirant and garbage at the same time and he feels all turned around. Something's weird with his fingers, they catch on the cloth -what the hell?- but he can still hear the young witch.

"Oh shit oh god, I'm sorry! I didn't mean- I thought I could read your mind, know what they're planning. I don't know what to do, I have to see if I have to hide and run, I didn't mean to be a bother!"

There's an ominous growl that makes the hair raise on Tony's… back? He fights even harder against the cloth that is all over him for some reason.

"Oh no, no, please, don't eat me! I didn't mean to do that, I just wanted to knock you out gently? I don't know, okay? Please don't move? Gosh, I barely have enough magic left to keep you down." The growl intensifies and the kid yelps. "Shit, sorry, gosh I hope I didn't- fuck, I need to go now. I don't know how to turn you back, I'm so sorry."

There's the sound of running and Tony has no idea if Steve goes after him or not, though it's unlikely because there's only one set of feet hitting the pavement. Steve's not saying anything, and that's worrying with all that talk of keeping him down. There is very little time to think, Tony has to assess the situation for himself first.

Finally Tony finds a draft of air and reaches for it, but as he moves he knows there's something terribly wrong. He's changed, his body doesn't move the same, and when he finally comes out of the cloth, what parts the opening is not a hand. No, it's a paw and Tony knows immediately that's him. Somehow, that panicky baby witch managed to change him into something furry. Shit. He wiggles his way out of what turns out to be his shirt and jacket and yeah, more paws and more fur, this is terrible.

Not quite as bad as coming face to face with a huge dog though. Massive, white fur, and way, way too many very sharp teeth. Tony's reaction is instantaneous: the instinct of his new body kicks in and he puffs up and snarls, claws out and arching his back to appear as big as he can. His tail - what the hell! - is slashing back and forth violently and an ungodly sound that Tony didn't expect he'd ever make rips out from deep in his belly.

The still human and rational side of his mind is trying to tell him something important in relation to that dog. But an heightened self-preservation urge is also telling him to get away from immediate danger. The dog - if it's even a dog, in fact it looks like a wolf- rears back at Tony's defensive display and tilts its head in what looks like confusion. There is no imminent sign that it's ready to attack right this second but Tony can't take any chances; he needs to have time to _think_. So Tony rapidly scans the alley and decides to get to safety before the beast eats him. 

Not second guessing if he can reach the top of it, Tony jumps out of the way and aims for the dumpster: he needs to get high. Who knows how fast the dog-wolf is, and it's big enough that one bite and Tony's toast. Thankfully, there's a lot of trash around and with the help of a garbage bin and stacked boxes, Tony manages to launch himself upwards until he reaches the intended destination. Now a good six feet in the air, body still puffed and arched, Tony studies the dog-wolf still on the ground. It's looking up at him without pause while now pacing tightly right and left, looking agitated. A wolf, Tony decides after careful examination; too powerful and broad to be any kind of dog he knows, anyway.

Up on the dumpster, Tony figures he's safe for the moment: the wolf seems upset, but it's not aggressive or willing to pursue. It raises its head and makes little howling noises that sound like pleading. Tony doesn't speak wolf and expresses it by hissing (it's oddly satisfying). The wolf then lies down on the pavement, for some reason Tony doesn't understand. Even less when it does small whimpering noises while still looking up at him with tragic blue eyes, tail wagging slightly. What in the hell? It's only when it rolls a bit on its back that Tony realizes it's to look less threatening, for his benefit.

And that's when it clicks: that ridiculously big wolf is Steve. Tony would be mortified he didn't get it earlier, but he figures he gets a pass for being freaked the fuck out that they've been turned into animals. The tension that has been thrumming in Tony's whole body abates considerably, enough that he relaxes his posture and his ears aren't flat on his head anymore. Steve senses the change in mood and jumps to his feet again, making an enthusiastic little 'aroo'. He then trots to… oh that's his clothes that Steve takes in his jaw and brings back next to Tony's own, before tapping them with his front paw.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. It's you," Tony tries to say out loud. He can hear it come out as a meow; kind of freaky but at this point he's starting to roll with the punches.

Steve tilts his head to the side. "Aroo?"

"Okay, great, and you don't speak cat." He sighs, which he finds is still doable.

Since there's no reason to remain on the top of this dumpster - that stinks to high heaven, good Lord, what's in there? - Tony gingerly makes his way back to the ground. Now that he's not reacting on adrenaline as much, it's kind of high and he hopes he won't break his face. The landing is surprisingly graceful though, his body absorbing the shock easily. Steve is overjoyed to see he's not considered a threat anymore, tail wagging so hard his whole body is wiggling with it. He lets the front of his body fall to the ground, chin on his front paws. Playful and a friend it says, plain as day.

"You are ridiculous," Tony says as he walks up to him, which comes out as a series of chirps.

He stops right in front of Steve's head, which unfairly is bigger than Tony's whole body. Steve stretches his neck to gently sniff at Tony.

"I'm fine," he tries to reassure. Somehow, the best way to express that is by head-bumping Steve's snout. He gets a huge damp tongue to the face for his trouble and recoils in disgust. "What the hell?"

When Steve licks him again, Tony brings a paw up, put it on his nose and very deliberately flexes his claws out a little, just a suggestion. Steve stops moving, takes away the tongue but gives him huge tragic eyes again.

"Don't look so sad, I just don't want a spit bath." To convey there are no hard feelings, he rubs the side of his face on Steve's. There. All good.

Thankfully it works and Steve is back to looking happier. It's all well and good, but they are still in a bind, and turned into animals. The young witch is gone, and Tony has no idea how they'll turn back. He vaguely remembers what he heard, which is that the kid hadn't intended for this to happen, and didn't know how to undo it. Maybe they are on a time schedule? He knows nothing about magic and hates it even more than usual right now. There must be a way to get help though.

His first idea is to use his phone. Tony hurries to his clothes and has to wrestle with the fabric before he pulls his phone out of his pocket. The problem is that he quickly realizes that he can't open it. Hitting the home button leaves it dark since FRIDAY either scans his face or works with voice recognition. Unsurprisingly, meowing at the phone gives no result. He's stomping on it, getting impatient, when Steve drops his own phone by Tony's, a little damp with drool. He'll take the time to be annoyed it's not a StarkPhone later, because when Tony presses the power button with a careful toe bean the surface lights up to ask… for a fingerprint. Tony looks up at Steve with disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? And what am I supposed to do with that?"

The frustration must translate because Steve's face drops. Still, it's a regular phone, Tony can work with it and has the start of a plan. As a rule, Tony never carries ID, but Steve must have a wallet. It's easy to confirm, though frankly it's not the way Tony had hoped to eventually get into Steve's pants. Once freed from Steve's clothes, he flips the black leather wallet opened to see what he has to work with. It holds a couple of cards, enough to identify Steve without a doubt - which is excellent - and surprisingly quite a bit of cash. With the clothes, it should be enough to tip off the police that something happened to Steve.

Before going back to Steve's phone, Tony rummages in his own clothes until he finds his watch. It's been programmed so the gauntlet reverts to that form if it's not around Tony's wrist and hand. He pokes it, but unfortunately it's as useless as his phone. When he coded the security features, it seemed very reasonable to lock what is essentially a shortcut to an Iron Man gauntlet and FRIDAY to his DNA. Since his genome isn't normal at the moment, it's unfortunately now just a very pretty watch. Still, he doesn't want it to fall into anyone's hands, so he picks it up and carries it to the dumpster to hide it under trash lying beside that doesn't seem to have moved in months. He'll come back or get someone to get it later.

Satisfied with his preparation, he figures it's time to call for help. Steve has been watching him with attention, sitting calmly near their clothes. He tilts his head when Tony wakes his phone again, swipes right to get to the 'emergency' option, then using the keyboard to dial 9-1-1. He's lucky that he has enough dexterity for it and that toe beans work on touch surfaces.

Once it connects, dispatchers speaks up. "You've dialed 9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

Tony figures meowing back won't be helpful, but he presses on buttons so the phone beeps. Then does it several more times.

"Can you hear me? Please speak up if you can." 

He taps three times, waits, three others, waits again. Tony figures the key is to be regular, so it won't sound like an accidental butt dial. He's so focused on what he's doing that he doesn't realize something is wrong until Steve growls. Annoyed, he looks up and sees that Steve is now on his four paws, between Tony and the mouth of the alley, emitting a slow threatening rumble. It distracts him from the 9-1-1 operator, who is telling him to stay calm; that they have a lock on their location and will send in officers. He presses the button twice again, but yeah, time is getting short because someone is coming and Steve isn't happy about it. More than one person, even, Tony counts five.

"I want nothing to do with Cole," one man is saying.

"Come on Shane. We can at least hear what he has to say!"

The group of young men, Tony would say in their twenties, don't look particularly intimidating. On the other hand they register as threats to Steve judging by how his growling is going up in volume. Fuck. By himself, Tony is relatively sure he could hide without attracting attention but Steve is huge and in your face. And his attitude will attract trouble, too, which is confirmed a second later when they are spotted.

"I dunno, I'm with Shane- holy shit!" One of the younger-looking guy, a lanky thing with lots of hair, has thrown his arms open wide to stop his friends from walking towards Steve. "Fuck, you're huge, Boy! Easy!"

"Damn!"

"Calm down Steve!" Tony tries to say but again it comes out as cat sounds. Not helpful.

Things grow from tense to worse when someone whips out a handgun.

"Down!" The man threatens, which is really not the best thing to say to a pissed off Captain America, who shows his very impressive fangs in return.

"Stop it, idiot, you'll get shot!" Tony hisses. Literally.

This whole situation is a disaster waiting to happen and Tony is pretty sure that Steve is only being aggressive because he's protective. He probably doesn't fully realize how intimidating he is, and the man with the gun is terrified under the cocky exterior, the smell of fear cloying in the air. If he shoots, there's a good probability that he'll aim to kill Steve because he won't want to risk getting his face ripped off with a miss. As a cat Tony won't be able to help at all, and he can't let Steve die like that.

"Imma shoot that big fucker!"

"Are you nuts? What if you miss it?"

"That's no dog, I'm telling you. Nuh huh. Come on Gene, do nothing stupid!"

Tony considers jumping in between Steve and the guy with the gun, but everyone is already too nervous and he could get that bullet instead, which would suck. Faced with very little other choice, Tony walks backward towards the other end of the alley, meowing loudly. Steve's ears twitch, he's listening, but not looking back. Doesn't want to break eye contact even one second.

"What's wrong with that crazy cat?"

"Fuck the cat, it's the damn coyote I'm worried about!"

"That's no coyote either."

Tony meows more, pleading. "Come on, Steve, with me now. Don't be stupid! Let's go, let's go!"

He's a good ten feet from Steve now, deeper and deeper in the alley. At one point the distance finally triggers a move from Steve, who clearly doesn't want him to stray too far. The big wolf stays facing the men, but he takes a step back too.

"That's it, come on!" Tony pleads, walking faster. Maybe, if he ran, Steve wouldn't have any choice but to follow not to lose him.

But no, slow and easy seems the way to go because Steve steadily backs away, towards him, and the men visibly relax.

"That's it big guy, there you go," the one with the hair says. "See, Gene, he's going. Don't shoot, it's not worth it."

"I should put it down!" Gene says. "Beast like that, it will hurt someone!"

Steve growls harder which is an idiotic thing to do, as it makes Gene and friends nervous. Tony can't believe that shit.

"Steve! Stop it! Fuck, I'm going."

Steve better follow, because Tony turns around and trots off, then turns to his right into a small parking lot after he reaches the end of a building. They need to get away from men with guns, that he knows. He also needs to keep far away from where people are because it's absolutely certain that Steve will gather too much attention. Fortunately Steve breaks his face-off and Tony can hear his nails clicking on the pavement as he runs to follow him. Even better there is no gunshot. Tony turns to wait on him, but he's not happy, and he feels his tail swishing with the anger. Steve, clearly not afraid of his very clear body language, comes close to sniff at him. Tony senses he will be licked again.

"Oh Jesus, I'm all right! I was never in danger, apart from your posturing!"

Tony stretches a paw to Steve's face again, middle of his forehead, to stop any attempts of licking. He hopes it's clear. It seems important to check if the men have left, but doesn't want Steve to go all Cujo on them again. Tony walks towards the alley again, and when Steve tries to follow Tony stops and raises a paw.

"Stop, wait a second!"

Steve sits, but he doesn't seem happy about it.

"I'll be careful," Tony promises. He walks until he reaches the alley again, flattens on the ground and stretches his neck to check what is happening. It's disheartening: the men haven't left, and they've found their stuff.

"We've got to go," Gene is saying, Steve's phone in hand. He tosses it in the dumpster. "Cops are coming, phone was on 9-1-1."

"Why the hell are there clothes?"

"A sweet suit at that! Damn."

"Those are crazy expensive Italian shoes, too!"

You bet they are, Tony doesn't skimp on fashion, especially not when dressing up to confront senators. He feels the need to hiss at how those guys are all over his stuff. And even more when one guy only pockets the cash in Steve's wallet and tosses it in the trash, too. Dammit. Tony knew he couldn't reach the Avengers by calling 9-1-1, but at the very least the police would have concluded something weird had happened to Steve and would have made a few calls. Raised suspicion, if only in alerting FRIDAY by default. Now, even if the police shows up, there's practically no chance they'll search the dumpster enough to find Steve's ID. It means they are on their own to solve their problem.

Great.

***

As much as he tries, Tony sees no solution to their problem other than going to someone they know. Unfortunately, no one in Washington is the kind of friend who would see a cat (and a huge wolf!) behaving strangely and come to the correct conclusion that magic happened. Their best bet is to go back to Avengers compound, and that's roughly 350 miles away, with no easy solution like taking a plane or even hopping on a bus.

If they don't revert spontaneously, it will be a long fucking journey. As he walks in the alleys with Steve - because on top of everything else they need people not to freak out and shoot Captain America or call the pound on his ass - Tony starts counting. Assuming they cover 3.5 miles per hour, and walk a minimum of eight hours a day, going back to Avenger's compound will take something like two weeks. He's exhausted just thinking about it.

Fortunately they agree on which way to go, which is North for now, following the train tracks after Union Station. Washington's streets are mostly set as a grid, so it's relatively easy to do, and to keep into industrial zones for the moment. Tony figures that once they find Highway 1, they'll follow that as much as they can towards New York City and then make their way upstate to the compound. God, he's been so spoiled all of his life and even more since he's had the suit: the idea of walking for several hours makes him break out in hives. Beside him Steve seems fine, always cautious when they have to cross streets and extremely wary of anything he considers a possible threat (which is a lot of things, it's ridiculous). Tony for one can't help flinching at loud noises or sudden movements which heightens Steve's paranoia.

When they reach Highway 1, called Rhode Island Avenue around these parts, Tony realizes that being inconspicuous while following it will be a problem. For one it's a boulevard and a lot busier than the streets and tracks they've followed until now. On top it has businesses along it for now, but might turn into residential. Tony would bet that there will be no easy back alleys or industrial zones soon. He's at the edge of the train tracks and peering down the Avenue, hoping that people from the Metro station won't notice them, when Steve whines softly.

"What?" he asks, facing him.

It comes out as a little 'brrup?' and Steve lies down on the ground, looking at him intently. He's trying to say something, but their lack of a common language is very annoying. Tony sits down, puzzled, and Steve wags his tail softly. So that's good, he figures, so Tony tries lying down too, crouching with his legs under himself. Steve's wagging increases, and he even lets his face split in what looks like a smile, tongue lolling out.

"Okay and what now?" Tony chirps again.

Steve goes back to his feet and, by reflex, Tony mimics him and gets up too. That makes Steve whine and flop down on his belly again, eyes imploring.

"What the heck?"

He lies down again and Steve looks thrilled about that. Even more when the next time he goes back to his feet and Tony, on a hunch, stays down. Steve sniffs at him gently, then scratches the ground on the ground in a 'X'. He then gently reaches a _huge_ paw towards Tony, hovers, and then tap on the 'X' in the dirt pointedly.

"You want me to stay here?"

Steve repeats the movement: almost touches Tony, then taps on the ground. He gets it, it's pretty clear, but why? There's not much to do but to agree. Tony stretches his own paw and taps the 'X'. It looks weird on a wolf, but Steve deliberately nods. To mark his own agreement, Tony nods too, then folds his paws close to his body. Frankly, they've walked a lot, and he doesn't mind the break. Steve ambushes him with a quick tongue to the ears - jeez - and goes back towards where they've come from. It's tempting to follow, but Steve stops after a few steps and checks on him. To reassure him he has no intention of budging, unless someone comes or another problem crops up, Tony stretches his paw to pat the 'X' again. Steve yips happily and then trots away, soon disappearing around a building.

Now that he's out of sight, though, Tony feels a lot more exposed. It's easy to be at ease when you're flanked by a huge wolf that no one with a right mind will challenge. But Tony by himself? He might have sharp claws and teeth, but he's probably not even ten pounds total. Magic is such bullshit, why is there such a size difference between them? Sure, as a man Steve is bigger than him, he's bigger than many people, but not that much! Tony couldn't be changed in a big cat? A puma, or something? He has a thought for T'Challa, and wonders if they'd understand each other. He's still musing on the unfairness of the situation, ears twitching each time there's a sound, when Steve reappears, carrying something in his jaw. Is that a bag?

It is indeed a plastic bag, swinging below his maw as he trots back towards Tony. He's quite a bit away when Tony realizes it's food, thanks to his newly improved sense of smell. Mexican, and now that he thinks about it, Tony remembers seeing a Chipotle not that far back. Steve must have gone back to go through the trash, and yeah, when he gets closer that's pretty sure: he stinks. He's also visibly proud of himself, tail wagging, and Tony sits up as he's offered the plastic bag.

"I don't think so," Tony says, backing up. He's not hungry, too stressed by everything to think about that.

Steve uses his nose to expose the food, some kind of burrito, and whines, pushing it towards Tony.

"You eat," Tony offers, pushing the food back towards Steve. "You're always hungry. Must not have changed, being so big." 

Looking torn, Steve eats most of the burrito, but then stops and insists, unfairly using his big blue eyes. Funny how they haven't changed that much in color and expression.

Rationally, Tony knows he should eat. He'll need the energy: they've got a long way to walk. Gingerly he takes a bite, which tastes a lot better than he thought it would. Once swallowed, it's like his stomach unclenches or something and he finds himself ravenous, going through the food. Especially the meat that goes down really nicely. Before he knows it, he's finished the filling and decides he's had enough. Straightening up, licking his chops, he sees Steve looking on approvingly.

"Yeah, thanks. Needed it."

Steve pushes the packaging towards him again and Tony shakes his head no, pushing it back. Half a second later the bits of tortilla that remained disappear in a quick storm of teeth, almost inhaled.

"Geez!" Tony exclaims, feeling guilty that he ate his fill when Steve is obviously starving. "You should have eaten more!"

It's not too late, in fact.

"Go!" He says, pointing towards where Steve found food. He looks back, but seems torn about leaving Tony again. "I'll stay right here," he adds, lying on the ground and tapping the ground.

He even curls his front paws to his body again, expressing that he's just going to chill here until Steve comes back. It must be convincing - or Steve is very hungry - because it works and he leaves. Belly full, Tony feels a lot less stressed out this time around. The cat instincts are right under the surface and he licks his white paw, making sure it's clean. He's got white fur on his feet, the tip of his tail and his belly, which is going to be more maintenance, but the rest of him is black as much as he can tell. His hair is short, but he's in a really nice patch of sun, and Tony finds his eyes drifting shut. He's sure his new super hearing will warn him if something comes close, anyway.

***

It's been hours, and the sun has set, but Tony's surprised at how well he can see in the dark. He's always heard that cats had night vision, or something close, but to experience it is very cool. He suspects that Steve sees less clearly than him because he's tenser than he was earlier. Or maybe it's just the constant attention they've been gathering all evening that is taking a toll. Frankly, it bothers Tony too. The road they need to follow is an urban boulevard, often six lanes across. It's lined with various commercial building, from cell phone shops to restaurants or other businesses. Quite a lot of churches, too.

A cat and wolf, even if most people surely think Steve's a big dog, that are walking side by side down the boulevard sure turn heads. Cars have slowed down, and Tony knows there's been several pictures. They have crossed paths with pedestrians although until now they've always been too intimidated by Steve to approach them. They're walking fast, as fast as Tony can sustain without tiring too much, so it discourages most people. Twice Tony had noticed cops, and they were forced to take a side street for a while and go through backyards just in case. But they never risk straying too far, or for too long, because Tony doesn't want to lose the road.

It's easier now, in the dark with fewer people out even though the boulevard is busy. But want it or not, Tony's getting tired. It's been a long day, even before the transformation. Add several hours of walking on top? He needs to rest. And he's so thirsty, too, and maybe hungry again. By his side, Steve is steady as a machine, though he has to take one step for five for Tony's, another unfairness in this whole cluster fuck. He's wished to call a stop, but there has been some nagging feeling that urges him to push just a little more. Five minutes more, maybe, and it will be good. Tony doesn't know what about, and it's driving him crazy, until he finally links what he's trying to reach to a sound that's becoming clearer and clearer. He stops, focusing all his attention on it and it takes Steve five feet before realizing he's walking alone before he halts and turns, looking at Tony with curiosity.

"What is that?" Tony asks.

It's like a constant murmur, and all of Tony's being wants to go meet that sound. The little drool he has in his mouth seems to have vanished: God he's thirsty. Call it instincts, but he knows he must continue. Steve thankfully doesn't make a fuss when Tony leaves the boulevard to take a side street, then determinedly make his way across train tracks and between houses, walking alongside some fences. They are entering a park, lots of trees at least, when he _finally_ identify the sound that has been like a siren call for minutes: running water. It's faint, but that has to be it. Not deviating one iota now that he has a goal, Tony weaves through the trees, Steve on his heel, until they hit a trail and yes, just feet away, a lazy little river.

Normally Tony would care about possible pollution or its even safe to drink. In reality, he goes straight for the water, which is easy enough. Rocks are piled on the edges of the river, and Tony finds one from which he can lean down and laps at the water. This thirsty, he doesn't even have to think about the mechanics of it or how to curl his tongue for maximum effect. Steve steps in the water as he drinks too. To be honest it tastes foul, but it's also perfect. Tony drinks until he's full, and only then does he sits back and takes stock of how tired he feels. It's a lot, enough that he closes his eyes for a second and the next thing he knows Steve is right in his face. Surprised, Tony rears back and almost falls into the water; fortunately he avoids that particular catastrophe.

"What the hell," he says, which comes out mixed with a growl, laying back down.

Steve takes a few steps, then stops and looks back at Tony and whines.

"I'm tired, buddy," Tony says, refusing to budge. "I can't walk anymore."

Steve goes further, until he's close to the path, and call for Tony again.

"I don't want to, Steve, I'm tired."

The little 'aroo' that follows is more insistent, and to Tony's surprise Steve walks away without him. He's tempted to stay where he is, but maybe sleeping on a rock, right by the water and a path, isn't the best idea after all. Reluctantly Tony gets up and follows the direction Steve took, only to see him at the edge of the woods, waiting for him with a wagging tail.

"I can't continue Steve!" he meows.

He's always heard that wolves cannot bark, but Steve makes a rough noise that almost sounds like it, and takes a few steps into the trees.

With a sigh, Tony concludes that he doesn't have much choice. Slowly, and hoping his body language expresses his displeasure, he follows Steve into the woods. They walk for approximately five minutes, then Steve sniffs around a series of boulders. Inspection made, he lays down at the junction of two, that have formed a natural crevice. Some kind of shelter, then, and Tony walks over to inspect it. It's not supposed to rain, but they would be mostly protected if it did. For sure it cuts the wind, and it's a lot safer than sleeping on a rock near the river. He should have trusted that Steve only had their best interest at heart when he didn't let him rest out in the open.

"Good idea," Tony says, and lays down on the ground besides Steve in the crevice.

It takes all of his restraint not to invade Steve's space, leaving a couple of inches between them. Tony's eyes are drooping already, and he curls into a ball, hoping he will conserve warmth this way. By his side Steve doesn't look sleepy at all, scanning their surrounding relentlessly.

"I'm beat, good night," Tony chirps. He's exhausted, and he knows Steve will keep him safe.

Steve shuffles closer until they are in contact and yes, this is even better.

It's easy to let go and moments later he's out like a light.

***

Man or wolf, it seems as if Steve is allergic to sleeping in the morning. Tony is rudely awakened when the sun is barely up, a wet nose pushing in his belly even though he's hiding his face behind his paws. He tries swiping the air hoping to catch Steve, claws out, but he avoids getting scratched. And then insists on bothering him until Tony stretches and yawns.

"Okay, okay, I'm up."

There's a loud growl and Tony is about to protest that he still doesn't speak wolf when he realizes it's the sound of Steve's empty stomach, and not a warning.

"Geez, that sounds painful."

Steve's looking at him with expectation, takes two steps away and wags his tail furiously when Tony follows.

"Yeah, got it, we're going. Wouldn't want you to get so hungry that you decide I'd make a good snack."

It's just teasing because he knows Steve would never harm him. In fact, Tony wonders why he even bothers talking aloud since they don't even understand each other. Steve doesn't seem to mind, though, and Tony feel like he's at least trying. They go back to the river for a drink, then follow the trail until they reach a pedestrian bridge. It's not the only structure across the river, there's two of them not very far, and Tony's pretty sure one is Highway 1. He wouldn't want to lose it and get turned around, getting help is already far away enough as it is.

Once on the other bank of the river, Tony leaves the asphalt trail for a dirt path and trots towards the sound of early traffic. They reach railway tracks first, running parallel to the road and separated from it by an incline full of trees. It's very exciting to Tony because it will be a great way to travel without attracting too much attention. 

He hops on the metal track, finding it a lot more fun to follow than walking on rocks. Tony figures he'll feel any train coming before he hears it, but he wonders from how far away. They've barely walked a minute when Steve stops and whines, looking towards the trees hiding the road.

"What?" Tony asks.

Steve sniffs in the air and makes a little plaintive 'aroo', before taking a few steps towards the trees.

When he takes time to do the same, Tony immediately catches on. It smells amazing - pastries, coffee, chocolate - and his own stomach growls in answer.

"Got it, food. Let's go see!"

A steep incline later - that Tony climbs down a lot more easily than Steve, ha! - they can assess the situation. It turns out that the heavenly smell comes from a bakery across the boulevard, at an intersection with a side street. The shop is small and gaudy, painted bright pink and flanked by two towers made of questionable stonework. Going straight into the bakery to beg for food isn't an option, but raiding the garbage bins will be complicated too. There's a row of black, green and blue bins but they aren't hidden behind the building or in an alley. Instead they are in plain view of the street, at the back of the very small parking lot. Also it's early, and Tony would bet it smells great because the workers prepared for early customers, but that they won't throw away food until later in the day.

"I'm not sure about this, Steve."

Steve's eyes haven't left the building and he makes a pitiful whine in the back of his throat. It's followed by a loud grumble that surely means he's famished.

"Let's go have a look anyway," Tony relents.

He leaves the cover of the trees for the sidewalk to wait for the perfect time to dash across the street. It's three lanes, grass, then three other lanes, Tony should make it okay even if the cars are going fast. Steve makes one of those almost barks that he uses when he demands to wait. He then walks to a post at the intersection to press on a button with his paw. Oh, the pedestrian lights, right. That's smart and a lot less risky. They wait patiently and cross the street when they get the signal, surely to the amusement of some drivers.

As Tony thought, the garbage bins don't look promising since the smells come mainly from the bakery. Steve is so hungry that he tries to get into them anyway while Tony nervously keeps a lookout. He's afraid a store employee will barge out any second with a mop or something, and shoo them away. This is not good, they are too exposed, and they probably should continue on the boulevard to another shop where the rummaging would be more discreet. Not only that but there's a small parking lot on the other side of the small side-street where two men are out of their pickup trucks and discussing while two kids are running around. It's too many people too close for Tony's taste, for sure.

"I swear, it's his idea," the man with red hair is saying. "He saw how Hollie liked it, and he told me he wanted to give it to her."

"You're sure?" The second man, taller and with a baseball cap, is looking at the kids chasing each other.

"Totally. I'm going straight back home and it will gather dust in the garage. Matt prefers his mountain bike now."

By reflex Tony checks the license plate on the men's trucks and sees one from Virginia, but the other one is from Connecticut. If that's the red-haired man… and yes, it is. The dude in question has opened the tailgate of his pickup and is half buried in the cargo bed, under a tarp used as a cover. He comes back pulling to him a Big Wheel tricycle in yellows and blues.

"Hollie!" Baseball Cap cries out. "Come and see what Matt wants to give you!"

The little girl is ecstatic at the gift and gives everyone hugs after she stops screeching in joy, even the tricycle gets one. 

"Thank you, thank you!" she chants. 

She offers little Matt one last ride on the Big Wheel before they go and Tony just can't stop staring at the pickup truck. The door is still opened, and there's space, there, under the tarp. Red Hair said he was going back home, and is plated in Connecticut, which would save them around ten days of walking.

"Steve! Steve!" he meows. "Come on!"

The urgency gets Steve's attention, and Tony doesn't wait to explain: he runs straight across the little street to the vehicles. After an unfructuous 'wait' sound, Steve follows but looks at Tony with puzzlement when he jumps in the tuck. There's a lot of stuff in there, including camping equipment, but as he thought there is enough space for them both to hide. At the condition that Stever hurries to hop in, that is. They'll be trapped for the ride, but it's a risk Tony is ready to take to shorten their journey. 

He hates that there's no way to clearly explain his reasoning; all he can do is to meow and move further into the truck. He pointedly ignores Steve's worried sounds - asking him to get out - and lies down to make his stance extra clear. He thanks the universe when Steve follows his lead and jumps into the truck. Contrary to Tony, Steve is so big that he has to crawl to move in the cramped space. Chirping his encouragement, Tony head-bumps him and direct him to move behind the camping gear. If they are lucky, Red Hair won't notice his stuff has moved a little. They've just settled, Tony lying between Steve and the exit (because noticing a cat would be less of a shock than seeing a wolf), when Red Head and his friend come back to their vehicles. 

"Tell Theresa we expect you to come to New Haven soon!"

"Believe me, Hollie will insist."

They can hear the kids, too, the little girl making plans to Skype and even write with an actual pencil. Apparently little Matt is her new bestest of friends. Thankfully Red Hair doesn't even glance into the box before he closes the tailgate, making their hideout darker. Steve is tense, visibly uncomfortable at being trapped like this. 

"It will be fine," Tony tries to reassure him. 

He's convinced of it, and overjoyed when Red Hair buckles up his kid in the truck and gets going. Judging by the movements of the vehicle, he takes Highway 1 in the right direction. Plus he said New Haven, which is not that deep into Connecticut. Maybe they can get out before, but they'll deal with that when it's time - at least 4 hours from now if they don't stop. Yes, Tony's very pleased with their new arrangement and he happily settles down for the ride. 

Somehow he finds himself purring, which fits with his mood. The low rumble is soothing, and he's heard it can calm people. He tests that hypothesis on Steve, who looks ready to jump out at the first opportunity, tearing the cover over their heads if needs be. Deliberately, Tony scoots closer and puts his front paws on Steve's side and starts kneading, purring as loudly as he can. He closes his eyes, concentrating on the feeling and frankly if it's doing nothing for Steve it's very self-indulgent. 

With a heavy sigh that means he's either resigned or exhausted - Tony's not sure he slept much in the night - Steve puts his head down on his front paws and closes his eyes. Muscle by muscle he relaxes and Tony figures his ministrations are doing the job. He might take a nap as well, after he finishes massaging Steve's shoulder. 

***

They've stopped once, at a gas station combined with a pee break where Tony somehow convinced Steve to stay in the truck. They took the road again right away, and it's close to mid-day now, judging by how hot it's getting in their hideout. It's undoubtedly worse for Steve who is covered with a thick fur; Tony's getting worried at how he's steadily panting, trying to cool off. The almost continuous growling in his stomach adds up to turn Steve into a very whiny wolf. 

"Yeah, yeah, next time they stop we get off okay? It shouldn't be long now."

Words translated to chirps have limits and Tony wish he knew how to make Steve feel better. He headbutts him a couple of times, rubbing his jaw on the side of Steve's head in a show of sympathy. He gets a lick in return and doesn't really mind since Steve visibly likes doing it. Experimentally he licks at Steve's ear back and can hear the thumping of Steve's tail on the truck's bed in return. Fine, if Tony can distract him from his misery that way, so be it. He starts grooming Steve though he sticks to the top of Steve's head and his ears when the longer hair at his neck gets stuck in Tony's spiky tongue. Annoying.

He's jolted out of his task when Steve's head snaps up in alert. They've slowed down, and the truck makes stops and turns. If Tony pays close attention, he can listen to the conversation up front in the pickup's cab.

"Can I go to Frank's place this afternoon?" the kid is asking.

Red Hair laughs. "We're just getting back home Mattie! You said you've missed Mom and you're already making plans to leave?"

"Well I'll see Mom for lunch. But it's been four whole days since I've played with Frank, Dad!"

"Goodness, four days!" Red Hair says, sounding shocked. "Tell you what, squirt. We'll go home to hug your mom, eat, unpack the truck and help put everything away and then you can call Frank to see if he's free to play. He might already have plans." 

The kid sighs deeply. "Okay. Can we drive past his house though?"

"Yeah, we're almost there. I'm not stopping, we're going straight home."

"I know!" Matt says. 

Tony hopes the dad will follow the plan to eat and then unpack the truck. It would give Steve and him the opportunity to sneak out without scaring anyone (hopefully). 

Little Matt soon exclaims that he can see his friend, which prompts Red Hair to slow down as the kid shouts hello.

"You're back!" Frank yells right back, sounding thrilled at the idea. 

He's glad that the kid seems to have good friends, especially since he seems like a good boy judging at how he gave his Big Wheel away. At that age Tony had no one, which is probably why he latched onto Rhodey so strongly when he finally managed a reciprocal friendship. Gosh, he wishes Rhodes was here even though he'd probably laugh himself hoarse at seeing Tony turned into a house cat. Tony stopped paying attention to what was happening outside the truck with his mauldin and clearly they just pulled into the owner's home. The vehicle stops and the motor cuts.

Little Matt and his father get out and go straight for the house where they are greeted by the mother. Both Steve and him are listening intently and when what has to be the front door closes, they move towards the tailgate. Unfortunately there is no way to open it from the inside of the pickup's bed, but Steve gnaws at the ropes that tie the tarp as a cover over their head. Those long scary tooth are sharp as hell because in no time he's ripped the rope holding one corner off and letting blessedly cooler air in. Tony puts a paw on the middle of Steve's forehead to stop him from bursting out, feeling it safer for him to peak out first. 

He pushes up until he can see which reveals only a garage door a few feet way. Emboldened by not hearing too much movement, he pops his head out fully. Matt lives in a classic suburb, with plenty of trees and small little houses. The sun is shining, and it seems quiet enough, no one in sight for now. Steve is pushing behind him, impatient to get out.

"Seems safe," Tony says, hoisting himself out on top of the cargo bed.

Which of course is when a kid runs into the driveway and stops dead when he sees him on the truck and only Steve's head out.

"Oh!" the boy says, eyes round.

Shit. Huge as he is, Steve will scare the kid if he jumps out. But he can't risk staying in the truck either, because Matt's father is bound to come back out soon. Tony figures he might as well act as a diversion and jumps on the ground, meowing while walking towards the boy. It seems to work, too.

"Hey kitty," the boy says, crouching down when Tony approaches. He keeps looking towards the truck and Steve, worried. Choosing a similar tactic than the one he used in the morning, Tony purrs and rubs on the boy's shins. "Hi!" the kid says and pets Tony's head and back gently. "Are you Matt's new cat? Did he get a _dog_ too?"

Tony meows, circling the boy who reflexively twists to follow his movement to keep petting him. "That's so cool. You're so soft," he adds, scratching below Tony's jaw, which feels amazing. 

Behind him, Tony hears faint ripping and the thump of Steve landing on the asphalt of the driveway, then rapidly walking away. Figuring he's done his diversion job well enough, Tony rubs against the boy's legs one last time and takes his leave too. 

"Oh, no!" The kid says, and tries to catch him. Tony is fast enough to evade, and he runs towards the backyard where he's pretty sure Steve went. "Wait!" A second later, the boy is crying out. "Matt! Matt! Your cat is getting away!"

Tony sees Steve waiting for him at the back of the house and they sprint deeper in the backyard that is thankfully not fenced in. It's good to move after several hours in enclosed quarters, and they duck and weave through the neighborhood for long minutes. Eventually Steve slows down to a walk which gives Tony a reprieve. He's pretty sure they are not getting followed, and he's already thinking about what they have to do next. Once again, he's surprised by the loudness of poor Steve's stomach.

"Okay, that's it, let's find some food for you and we'll worry about getting home after."

Judging by how Steve's sniffing the air, he's thinking along the same lines, and Tony lets him lead the way.

 

***

It's been a long five days since New Haven, and Tony is sick and tired of walking. He has vowed that once returned to human form he will never walk again unless absolutely necessary. Gosh, he misses the armor, cars, and everything with engines. He'd even give a fortune for roller skates if it meant not having to actually walk. He also longs for opposable thumbs and regular meals that don't come from trash cans or that he didn't have to kill himself. He'll never take those for granted ever again. 

They've fallen into a routine after finding Highway 91 and starting their way upstate. They reversed their schedule to start their days in early evening before finding a place to sleep around sunrise. It's easier to look for food under the cover of darkness and walking during the day attracted way too much attention. The I-91 is an actual interstate highway, so they can follow it relatively easily on what is often undeveloped terrain or a row of trees meant to cut the visual and auditory pollution to the cities it crosses. The trickiest bits are bridges and overpasses that they navigate as carefully as they can. Each morning Steve finds them a shelter and they curl up together to sleep the daylight away and rest. 

Eventually they reached the I-90 to go West towards Albany. It's a game changer because now there are very long stretches where the road is crossing forests and occasionally farms. It makes it harder to find food and pushed them to hunt. They'd tried together at first, but their size difference and new instincts means they have very different styles and wholly different prey preferences. For one Steve doesn't understand how birds are fascinating while he always tries to catch rabbits that are as big as Tony. He can't help him much, and at most he can hope to startle the bunnies to run towards Steve, which worked the day before. He feels as if eating other animals, uncooked and all, should make him pause but he frankly doesn't care as long as he can fill his belly.

Speaking of, there's something going on in the undergrowth and Tony crouches down, extending his senses as far out as he can. It's the scuttling sound that caught his attention first, but now he sees dead leaves moving near a stump. He was on his way back to Steve under the old camp in the woods that was their hideout today, that he left to go drink in the nearby pond. Now his inner cat is chanting "prey, prey!" at whatever is hidden near the stump. 

The intensity of the urge to hunt scares Tony a little. The more time he spends in this skin, the more his cat instincts are taking space in his psyche and his decision making. Is he losing himself into this new form? Can it go far enough that he won't be able - or won't care! - to revert? Still, he knows that Steve is hungry and there are no restaurants or hotels nearby, at least none that Tony has seen. Farmers, he's learned, keep the trash under lock, probably to avoid attracting wildlife. Funny how Tony never thought he'd think of himself and Steve as such. Also they have guns, and he doesn't want to risk them seeing Steve.

As quietly as he can, and moving slow as a glacier, Tony advances towards the source of the noise. He stops frequently, and stays close to the ground, eyes on his target. The creature falls silent, so maybe his approach wasn't stealthy enough. Figuring he's close enough to strike anyway, he jumps toward where he thinks the prey is, claws out. He connects with a soft little body and there's a terrified squeak as he catches the mouse. It's fast work to end its suffering and Tony's glad that at least he doesn't have the urge to play with his food like he's heard a lot of cats do. He still can't help feeling proud of himself as he brings it back to Steve, even though it's barely a bite for him. Tony's getting fantastic at this, and can catch several mice or birds each day when he takes the time to do it. 

He doesn't have to reach the cabin because Steve has come looking for him, nose in the ground. He's always worried when Tony wanders on his own, which is both exasperating - Tony's not helpless! - and kind of sweet. Steve wags his tail at finding Tony unharmed which makes the balance tilt towards adorable. He's just a big ball of fluff with scary teeth, and it's with affection that Tony gives him the mouse as a gift.

"There you go," Tony meows after putting it on the ground. "Not much as way of breakfast, but better than nothing." 

Steve licks his face in thanks - he always sneaks a couple a day, and maybe Tony's been less inclined to dodge them over time - and swallows the mouse whole. Again Tony feels as if he should be disgusted, but he's just proud that he could provide food. 

"You're welcome. Okay, let's go. We'll see if we can catch more as we go, but I'm confident we can reach the compound this time."

Yesterday they had almost made it to East Greenbush, so there's not that long to go while walking the 90 before branching to the 4th, and from there they will be home. It's hard to predict how long it will take, but his best guess is four or five hours. They've both barely slept, too excited at being so close to their goal, which they should reach just after dinner. 

Tony starts on the path leading to the road and Steve flawlessly falls into step by his side, just as determined.

***

Tony is proud of the Avenger compound's redesign, but he has never found it as beautiful as he does now. He worries for a second that this might be a dream - he's had doozies in this form - but Tony's exhaustion and hunger is way too real. Steve has perked up, too, face split in a joyous grin. They've made it home in a little less than a week which is pretty good under the circumstances.

As they walked on the side of the private lane leading to the various buildings in the complex, they've seen several workers driving home. There's a good chance that there's at least one Avenger or a Guardian in the training hangar, though, which is one of the first buildings on their path. There's just one problem: the security guard on duty - Tony's never seen her before - is definitely not willing to open the door for them. She's watching them with puzzlement from inside the glass door, hands on her hips.

"Please," Tony meows, now standing up on his hind legs, front paws on the door. "I need to see someone used to weird shit, just one second?"

Steve is a lot more aware of how intimidating he looks by now, and he's lying on the ground, head on his paws and swishing his tail. Tony doesn't know how the guard isn't swayed by those pleading puppy eyes.

"You're both very cute," she says, muffled by the door but still perfectly understandable, "but there's nothing for you here."

"There is!" Tony protests.

He's filled with hope when she clicks her comm link open. Maybe she'll call someone over that will notice how unusually they are acting.

"Hey Tina, it's Val. Do you know if someone here has a black and white cat and a huge white dog?" The answer is predictably no. "Yeah, they're right here at the front door, hoping to get in. The cat acts as if he owns the place and is due entry."

Tony looks behind him and Steve is silently laughing which makes him want to hiss. This is _not_ funny, even though he can't even be mad at the poor girl who doesn't know how right she is.

"Got it. And no one feeds them?"

At that Steve jolts his head up, eyes bright. God, Tony will make his life mission that Steve is never hungry again, this is ridiculous.

"Ha, yes, makes sense. Okay then, thanks Tina." She cuts the comm and talks to them next. "Sorry guys, no can do. It looks like Mister Stark doesn't like pets that aren't robots, and I want to keep this job, so."

"That's not true, I like pets!" Tony meows. "Granted I never could have one, but I'm not opposed to the concept! And frankly, robots _are_ better for someone like me."

Guard Val's eyebrow are steadily climbing on her forehead. "Wow, you've got quite a lot to say, don't you?"

"I do. But I'll shut up if you let me in!"

A ruffing sound from Steve makes him turn. He's up and inclining his head towards the rest of the compound. Which… well yes, there are more buildings and possibly even more Avengers elsewhere.

"Fine," Tony says, giving one last pointed glance at the guard before he walks to Steve. "Living quarters it is."

At least it's not far, this time. Just two minutes and instead of going to the main entrance Steve slips around back. It's a good idea because FRIDAY won't unlock the front door for them, but maybe there is someone on the terrace? There is unfortunately not, and Tony peeks through the patio door and can't see anyone in the kitchen either, dammit.

"Aroo!"

Steve is walking away again, with purpose, and Tony follows him until he stops and looks up at a window.

"What?" Tony asks.

This is the North-East corner, and now that he thinks about it, definitely a room from Steve's apartment. After looking at Tony pointedly, Steve stares up at the window and whines. Tony's become pretty good at deciphering Steve's vocalization in the last week, and this means there is something Tony should get. He examines the window closely and realizes it's opened a crack.

"Oh." It could be a way in. "Okay, yes."

The window is high and opens outwards, so Steve can't just jump and force it. That makes it Tony's job and it's a challenge he's happy to tackle. He's always enjoyed heights, it's one of the pleasures of flying, but as a cat it's been heightened. It drove Steve nuts when he'd decide to climb a tree or walk on a high beam in a barn that one time. He gathers all of his strength and jumps, thankfully reaching the ledge on his first try. It's narrow but there, and taking his time not to lose his balance, he gently opens the window plane until there is enough width to allow his whiskers.

From there it's easy to slip in what turns out to be Steve's bathroom. Maybe he leaves the window open to clear the humidity after a bath or a shower, even though the place is perfectly regulated for those things. Anyway, that's not important. First thing first, he'll get Steve in too. He trots to Steve's private terrace accessible by the living room to see him waiting there already, tail wagging and panting happily.

"Gotcha," Tony says.

The lock on Steve's patio door is toggled by a little switch, and it takes three jumps this time before Tony disengages the mechanism. Steve can then open the door by pushing on the handle which is another victory.

"Attaboy!" Tony meows, rubbing on Steve's legs. He gets - predictably - licked in the face. "You just won't quit that, huh?"

It's been harder and harder not to make scenarios in his head about how easily Steve shows affection in this form. It's just about being turned into a canine, Tony reasons for the umpteenth time, it's what they do. He shouldn't read the licks as kisses, and for sure not imagine that Steve would like to do that once back in his human skin. When Tony licks back on the side of Steve's nose, that _he_ means it as a ninja kiss is his own problem and nobody's the wiser.

"Let's find someone to help change us back, okay?" Tony chirps.

They're passing by Steve's opened bedroom door when he has an idea. "Come on."

As he thought, he finds Steve's Captain America uniform in the walk-in closet. If they want to get taken seriously as soon as they see one of their teammates, it must be very clear that there's more to them than being animals. It will also cut time on making people guess if they hint at who they are from the get go. Tony can't access his armor, his DNA being temporarily altered - gosh he hopes this won't stick! - but Steve's uniform is distinctive.

Tony jumps on the built-in shelves in the closet and stretches until he can reach the hanger. Unfortunately, even while digging his claws in, he's not strong enough to make the uniform fall to the ground. Steve is, though, and he caught on because he tugs on the uniform from below and yanks until it falls on his head. He immediately wiggles into it, which is funny to watch (the arm holes seems to be the most problematic). Tony is soon distracted by the nick knacks on the surrounding shelves. There's a pocket knife, cufflinks, some change, even a little packet of earplugs. Just a little nudge and Tony makes the yellow foam plugs go over the edge which is surprisingly fun. He pushes off the change, next, and then the cufflinks because why not? It's entirely satisfying.

Now wearing his uniform top, Steve makes the 'stop' sound, and for one of the rare times since they transformed he's looking up at Tony in disapproval. Well, there was that time in the barn, too, but it was mostly because he was worried Tony was so high up.

"Sorry," Tony says.

He's about to jump down when he sees Steve's cowl. He takes it in his mouth before he goes back on the floor with Steve. With work they place it on Steve's head even though the ears are a problem. Tony thinks that the top of the uniform and cowl are a blatant statement that the wolf is Captain America, but Steve visibly wants to make it extra clear by adding the shield. It's near his neatly made bed, which Tony isn't surprised about (neither about how the bed it's made with hospital corners, nor that Steve keeps the shield close even when he's resting). The bed smells great though and Tony can't resist the perfect opportunity to lay on it at least once in his life. He hops on and walks to Steve's pillows, breathing deeply. It's so comfortable and lovely he starts purring, and he's even tempted to knead.

Steve takes a moment to look at him, tail wagging, but rapidly goes to the shield. He makes it tip to the floor, curve side up, only to... roll on it? Tony is wondering what the hell he's trying to do when he hears the magnets snap together. Of fucking course, the shield is made to hold to the uniform's back in the first place. When he gets back to his feet, Steve has the shield securely on his back.

"Good job," Tony says. "No offense, but you look like a strange patriotic furry turtle, if I'm honest."

It's clear that Steve is full of energy and ready to go back to his human skin. He walks briskly to his door, then comes back when Tony doesn't immediately follow (sue him, he's enjoying his moment on Steve's bed).

"Aroo!" he calls, head resting on the mattress.

"Alright, alright." Tony stretches and instead of jumping on the floor, he walks to Steve and then right onto his head to reach the shield before he turns around. "Let's go, noble steed!" he jokes, pointing towards the door.

He would have understood Steve shaking him off, but no, he starts walking with Tony keeping balance on his neck and head. They've barely left Steve's apartment when they come face to face with Rhodey.

"Oh my god!" Tony says, so happy that he immediately jumps on the ground. "Sweet mercy, it's so great to see you Lamb Chop!"

At his back Steve makes a high-pitched whine and it's only then that Tony notices that Rhodey has a gun pointed at what he thinks is a wolf. And looks totally flabbergasted by both that beast in a Cap costume and his pal the black and white cat.

"Hey, ho, what's that about?" Tony protests, tail pointing straight in the air. "Put that down, Papa Bear, you'll hurt someone!"

"FRIDAY, this isn't just something strange going on in Steve's quarters, this is bonkers!" Rhodey says.

Ah! Tony was wondering why his girl wasn't reacting to the intrusion, but it's just because she was doing it in a way he couldn't hear. Tony dares to approach Rhodey even if he hasn't put his gun down.

"Come on, babe, it's me and Steve!" he meows, winding between Rhode's legs. For his part, Steve wags his tail in a sign of friendliness and keeps his head on his paws in the less threatening position possible.

"What the hell? FRIDAY, how did they get in?"

Tony stands up while propping his paws on Rhodey's legs, asking to be picked up as Fri answers. Tony keeps rubbing his jaw on Rhodey's thigh, too, and purrs as loud as he can. He meows in sequence - one time, pause, two times, pause, three times, pause - and wills his friend to catch on. He's getting desperate when at five meows Rhodes isn't reacting as he wishes (come on buddy!), but at eight meows he finally catches his attention.

"Wait wait wait," Rhodey says, _finally_ putting away the handgun in the back of his pants. He crouches down and pets Tony's head, who head bumps him with enthusiasm, chirping. "Do that again, so I'm sure I'm not crazy."

Tony maintains eye contact and starts the sequence over: One. Two. Three. Five.

Rhodey has started smiling at three and is cackling by the time Tony is starting the count of eight. "Holy fucking shit! Tones?"

"Yes!" he meows enthusiastically, reaching forward to lick Rhodey's cheek (he blames Steve and his propensity to express approval this way for the impulse). Rhodes laughs harder. "Ow, that scratches, man!" he says, but kisses Tony's forehead in return and picks him up. Tony wasn't sure he'd like that, but it's Rhodey so it's fine.

"What the hell? A cat? And now I feel like it should have been obvious this is you, Steve, with the get up," Rhodey says. Steve has jumped back on his paws and comes over for a pet too, tail wagging. "Christ, you're enormous."

"I know, right?" Tony chirps.

"Should I inform the other Avengers and Miss Potts that Boss and Captain Rogers are back among us?" FRIDAY asks.

Rhodes grins. "No, no, call them for an emergency meeting in the dining room. Pep is still here, right?"

"Yes, Colonel. She is currently in the office, on a business call."

"Make her know that I have news about Tony and Steve and to meet me there."

"Will do. Oh and welcome home, Boss! And Captain Rogers."

Tony meows and Steve does his playful rumbling while Rhodes laughs again, and walks towards the dining room, keeping him in his arms. Good, this way Tony can start on his promise of walking as little as possible right now. They arrive first and Rhodey sits at the head of the table, keeping Tony on his lap with delicious jaw scratches. Steve sits by Rhodey's side, as tall and majestic as he can be while disguised as his alter ego.

"What is it?" Natasha says as she comes in next, Clint on her heels. "Did you hear from Steve or Tony?"

"You could say that," Rhodey says, while Clint and Nat stop and stare at them. Tony looks up at Rhodey's face and he's grinning still.

"It's not that funny," Tony meows, which earns him a chuckle.

Bruce, Vision, Sam, Bucky, Wanda and Pepper have arrived too and Rhodey stands up. "Good, everyone is here." Thor and the Guardians are away, then.

"What's going on?" Bruce asks for everyone, and Tony sees Bucky's hand hovering over his always present holster on his hip. He's always wary when there are out of the ordinary situations.

Rhodey shifts his hold on Tony so he's gripping him under the front paws, and extends his arms up and away, letting him hang down.

"Let me present you: Tony Stark," he says, mock seriously before laughing so hard he bends forwards with it.

"Oh my fucking God, you asshole!" Tony meows as he tries to twist out of his hold. "You realize that makes you Rafiki, right?"

Steve starts goddamn howling, to add to the madness, and all the Avengers look as if Rhodes is crazy, which frankly he can't blame them for.

"Okay, so he snapped," Clint declares, hands on his hips.

"Jim?" Pepper asks, concerned.

"Sorry, sorry," Rhodey says before handing Tony to her. She accepts and deftly cradles him like a baby which Tony decides he likes. Pepper smells great, as always, and Tony starts purring, which makes her look down and smile at him.

"He's cute!"

"Thank you!" Tony chirps.

"Don't say that, it will go to his head," Rhodes says, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "But I'm not joking, that's Tony. And that big ass wolf here is Steve."

There's a chorus of "What?"

"The cat meowed the Fibonacci sequence at me, twice. And they came in through Steve's quarters to dress him up."

Wanda tentatively walks closer to Steve, who licks her extended hand. Her eyes go round. "He's shrouded in magic. I can't hear his thoughts, but this is not a regular… wolf? It could be Steve."

"Finally we're getting somewhere!" Tony says.

"Jesus, punk, what did you get into this time?" Bucky asks, walking to Steve too.

Tony twists in Pepper's arms: he needs a way to communicate and has an idea. Pepper let him down on the dining table and Tony looks directly at the ceiling where he knows there's one of FRIDAY's multiple cameras.

"Come on, baby girl," he meows, wishing for her to understand. He sits back on his haunches and raises his front paws up, draws the shape of a big rectangle in the air and could weep with joy when a hologram window pops up, showing a keyboard. "God I love you!"

The first thing he types by touching the letters with his paws is: _attagirl_ :heart emoji: :heart emoji:

"Well shit," Sam says. "That _is_ Stark."

_yep. btw rhodes you're an asshole._

"I love you too, man," Rhode says, reaching to caress his back. "What the fuck happened?"

_a baby witch turned us in wa. had to walk back. i hate walking_

Clint whistles. "A hell of a long walk!"

_too long, but we hitched a ride to new haven. anyway, wanda??????_

She might not care about him much, but she loves Steve. She won't let him stay a wolf. Speaking of, she's got both hands on Steve's big head and her eyes are closed.

"Wanda?" Rhodes relays out loud. "Can you change them back?"

"I'm sorry, I have no idea how to," she says with a pout, visibly disappointed. 

Fuck, that complicates things. Tony types: _Strange???_

"Good idea," Bruce says. "I'll call him."

_thanks bruce_

"I am so glad you are okay," Pepper says, bending to kiss his head. "Relatively speaking."

He headbutts her and chirps before typing: _i'm always fine, you know that. food? please?_

"Of course!"

_make it a lot for Steve ok?_

"Got it," Pepper says. "Anything else to say?"

_not for now. Steve?_

Steve's been reading the display like everyone else and he shakes his head no. Tony figures food is his priority, anyway.

_FRIDAY, baby girl, you make one of these pop up whenever I ask okay? Or Steve does? ___

"Got it, Boss," she replies. 

"I think there's chicken leftover from dinner last night," Sam says, going to the kitchen.

It's with a sense of deep relief that Tony leaves the hologram before he walks to Pepper - and not Rhodey, who is beckoning him. She smiles and picks him up again.

"We'll get you turned back," she says with confidence as he licks her cheek softly, trying not to scratch her. She still makes an adorable scrunched face between touched and disgusted which makes him want to do it again. Maybe that's what has been going on with Steve and his own licking.

Anyway, they are home and for the first time in over a week Tony allows himself to relax. Everything should be all right.

__**_ _

Tony's curled up on the living room's couch and enjoying being petted by Nat, who is surprisingly delicate in her touch. He purrs to make her know he's fine with it, and with his belly now full Tony's very sleepy. Bruce has reached Stephen Strange, and assured them he's on his way to the Compound. After over a week of always being together, Tony can't help but to check on Steve now and again, to see how he's doing. He wolfed down - pun intended - a lot of food and got out of the Captain America uniform that was surely uncomfortable. Right now Steve has edged away from the furniture, towards the patio door, but Clint is by his side, ruffling his fur.

"This is so cool," he's saying, filming him and Steve with his phone. "You should howl!"

Clint's not the first to have taken images, and Tony's already planning on confiscating them all. He understands the impulse to gather teasing material, he'd do the same, but he's got the means to control this and he will take it.

Contrary to Tony, Steve doesn't seem to like the attention everyone's been giving them. Unfortunately, almost all the Avengers has petted Steve anyway, even if he's tried to get away. Can't anyone read his body language for what it is? When Steve dodges Clint for the tenth time, Tony has had enough. He gets away from Nat, jumps to the ground and strides to Steve and Clint, meowing.

"Okay, that's enough."

"Hey man," Clint says, smiling and petting Tony's ears. "Can I put on record that I think it's hilarious that you're a tuxedo cat? This is such a trip."

"Don't I know it," Tony chirps. He walks between Clint and Steve, who has scooted away a little. When Clint reaches for Steve again, Tony intercepts his hand with a paw. "No, leave him alone." Clint doesn't pay him any mind and continues his gesture, and in return Tony flexes his claws out.

"Hey!" Clint looks at him with confusion, which means Tony wasn't clear enough.

Tony starts growling, puffs up and arches his back, planted firmly between his teammates.

"What's your problem?"

A hologram window pops up right next to them, and yeah, good idea FRIDAY. Tony somehow forgot that option.

_leave steve be okay? he's had enough._

"Oh!" Clint says, face falling.

 _Weird. Sorry._ Steve types with his nose.

"Of course," Clint says, finally getting up and stepping away. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable"

_it's fine_

Tony takes the relay at the holo screen.

_how about we get you a real dog when this is over?_

"Really?" Clint says, beaming. It's been a long time that Tony has seen him look genuinely happy. It's been hard for him since the divorce. "I'd like that. A lot."

_done deal_

Clint leaves with a bounce in his steps and Tony gets a lick from Steve on the side of the head.

_Thanks _Steve then types.__

_no problem. do you want me to leave you alone too?_

Steve shakes his head no - which is definitely an ego booster for Tony - and lies down on the floor, tipping to his side. As he's taken the habit in the last week, Tony burrows under a front paw and rests against Steve's chest, head in his neck.

"It will be all right soon," Tony chirps and starts purring, knowing it makes Steve relax.

"That's goddamn adorable," Tony hears Bucky say.

He couldn't care less that they are being teased. Strange will be here soon, and they'll be back to normal. Tony can take a minute to enjoy this for the last time if he wants to.

__***_ _

__"Oh my god, they are so fluffy I could die!" Peter exclaims when he enters the room with Strange._ _

__Oh geez, Tony thinks as he sighs. Here they go again._ _

__Stephen is smirking in amusement as Peter drops to his knees beside them, eyes big as saucers._ _

__"That's really you, Mister Stark?" he asks. He's tentatively reaching towards him, but doesn't connect, unsure. Tony appreciates the restraint so he bridges the distance and fits his head in Peter's hand in permission. The smile he gets in return is worth it. "Oh, wow!"_ _

__"It is me." The holo window pops up again._ _

_Stephen, can you do something about this please?_

__Strange has crouched beside them and is moving his hand around, hopefully getting useful information about this goddamn spell._ _

__"I'm confident, yes. Strong magic, even if amateurish. I have several ideas."_ _

_awesome_

____"I'd better test them on one of you, then use what works with the other," Stephen says._ _ _ _

_fine with me_

____Steve jumps to his feet, walking to Strange and tugging on his sleeve. No need for a holo screen to understand he's volunteering._ _ _ _

_why you? i'll go!_ Tony protests.

____Whining, Steve tries to argue and Tony wishes he could roll his eyes. Of course Steve wants to go first, but Tony doesn't see why he should let him._ _ _ _

____"Both of you then," Strange says, exasperated._ _ _ _

____"Can I carry you?" Peter asks him, hopeful._ _ _ _

____"You may," Tony agrees with a meow, stretching his paws up. He likes being carried around, and it seems to thrill Peter._ _ _ _

____Bruce is waiting for them in the lab, and once he's deposited on a lab bench, Peter helps set up cameras and other equipments to collect readings. Frankly, if it wasn't so much effort Tony would tell them not to bother about it since magic is so unpredictable. No matter what they learn now, it probably will be useless in a situation that looks similar. Stephen examines them again with those glowing wheels full of symbols he's so keen to conjure and eventually announces he has a possible solution._ _ _ _

____To Tony's annoyment, he starts by trying it on Steve. There's muttering, more golden symbols and Stephen pushes his magic at Steve. He makes a choked up sound that Tony hates, but after a second where the air ripples the wolf is replaced by a very naked super soldier._ _ _ _

____"Oh, Jesus," Steve says, curling on himself. "I hate magic."_ _ _ _

____"That's my line!" Tony meows, and curses Bruce who has produced a blanket from somewhere._ _ _ _

____"How are you doing?" Bruce asks, as he wraps the blanket around Steve, who tucks it around himself._ _ _ _

____"I'm okay. Thanks so much Stephen!"_ _ _ _

____"My pleasure to help," Strange says, before turning to Tony and moving his hands to repeat his spell._ _ _ _

____"Wait!" Steve says, getting up and approaching Tony who is sitting on his lab bench. He bends to look him straight in the eyes, and cups the side of his head. Tony can't help rolling into the touch. His hands are huge and warm, it's fantastic. "It hurts, but it only lasts a second, okay?"_ _ _ _

____He appreciates the warning._ _ _ _

____"Got it," Tony meows._ _ _ _

____Steve smiles at him and gently touches the top of his head and his ears, before bending to put his face in Tony's neck for a second, how he used to with his snout. He even kisses his forehead before stepping back and asking for another blanket._ _ _ _

____"Mister Stark, I think it would be safer if you were on the ground as you revert to human," Peter says._ _ _ _

____It makes a lot of sense, and Bruce covers him with a blanket once he's on the floor. Tony understands it'll save everyone from seeing things they don't want to see, but it also prevents him from knowing exactly when Stephen's spell will hit. He closes his eyes, keeps his jaw shut to brace for the pain and barely breathes in anticipation for the shock._ _ _ _

____When it comes, it hurts like a motherfucker. This time the world turns blue, and it's like being forcibly stretched out, his bone and muscles on fire. Tony holds in a scream and, as Steve warned, the pain doesn't last. That one second felt like a lot more, but Tony's now face down on the cold floor, very much back to himself. His first thought is that they should have put a blanket under him too._ _ _ _

____"Oh, hey, are you all right?" Bruce is kneeling on the ground and Tony stretches to pat his hand._ _ _ _

____"I'm fine." His voice is weirdly a surprise. "Hey, words again! Thank god!"_ _ _ _

____Steve laughs. "You were very vocal the whole time!"_ _ _ _

____Tony ties the blanket around himself like a toga without flashing anyone - thank you MIT party days - and gets up, thrilled at being a biped again._ _ _ _

____"Sorry for trying to communicate, Mister Gruff."_ _ _ _

____It makes Steve smile. "I think we managed fine."_ _ _ _

____"Definitely," Tony says with a smile of his own. He has a strong desire to touch Steve to emphasize his approval, the way he'd rub his head on his paws or chest. It is just residual instincts, and it should go away soon._ _ _ _

____"I heard you were turned while in Washington and then made it all the way here on your own?" Peter asks, as always full of wide-eyed wonder._ _ _ _

____"We sure did," Tony says. "And now I'll gladly continue my journey until I end up in my shower, then go to bed and sleep for two days!"_ _ _ _

____"Not so fast," Strange says. "I have to do tests first. And I need answers."_ _ _ _

____Dammit, he knew it was going too well. "Fine. For the record? I hate magic."_ _ _ _

____Strange makes a face, looking exasperated. "You're both welcome," he says drily._ _ _ _

____"Fair enough. Being whammied by magic I hate. Thanks for turning us back, it's appreciated."_ _ _ _

____"Of course. Now tell me everything, in details," Stephen demands._ _ _ _

____He's seized by a strong desire to puff up and hiss at how much he doesn't want to do this, the cat instincts still very close. Yes, it will take a bit to adapt at being back in his rightful body. Tony rolls his eyes extra hard and then sits in his favorite chair, securing his makeshift toga. He lets Steve talk._ _ _ _

____**_ _ _ _

____Falling off the grid for over a week results in an insane amount of emails to catch up with. He wishes he could just erase everything, but if FRIDAY left them in the Inbox, it's because they are somewhat important (if often uninteresting). Thankfully Pepper was swayed enough by his 'ordeal' to delay most of what has to do with the business. Still, Tony's been working for long hours and the screen on his tablet is getting blurry. What doesn't help is that he's drowsy, eyes closing against his will. Not ideal to nap this late in the afternoon if he wishes to finally sleep later. He should get up, get coffee maybe, but it's comfortable in the corner of the sofa he chose to work from. It's in a very nice patch of sun and he likes that he can look outside when he needs a break from the never ending parade of people that want things from him. There's a bird bath on the patio, and he'd never noticed how much it was used before. Currently two chickadee and a blue jay are taking a sip, and Tony can't look away._ _ _ _

____"Here."_ _ _ _

____Tony jumps in surprise when a granola bar that is shoved in his face, then dropped in his lap. It's Steve, looking amused as he sits on the other end of the sofa with his own snack (which is unsurprisingly the rest of the box of oatmeal and fruits bars)._ _ _ _

____"What?"_ _ _ _

____"You looked about ready to get out there and pounce. This is easier," he says, pointing at the bar in Tony's lap before unwrapping one for himself. "You've been really obsessed with birds."_ _ _ _

____The remark makes Tony raise his eyebrows. "You're one to talk, oh terror of squirrels and bunnies."_ _ _ _

____Steve snorts a laugh before shoving an entire granola bar in his mouth while he flicks on the television to one of the many cooking shows he follows. It's crazy to say, since they live in the same complex and cross paths several times a day, but Tony misses Steve. When they went to Washington, it was the two of them all the time, starting from their preparation for the senate hearings and then even more when they were turned. He got used to it, and now Tony feels unmoored, especially at night. His big bed is cold, and he has only slept in fits and starts since they've been back._ _ _ _

____Tony dares to stretch his leg on the couch until he's grazing Steve's thigh with his toes. For a second he wonders if he's made things weird: they were close in their animal forms, but never touchy feely with each other before that. It's a pointless worry because Steve doesn't even look away from the television and closes his hand around Tony's ankle, as if it's perfectly natural to do so. Tony would purr if he still could, and he lets his eyes close just for a minute, reassured that he's safe._ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

It's been two weeks since they changed back and Tony still feels the urge to make physical contact with Steve all the time. He can rationalize that when he was a cat and they couldn't speak to each other, touching meant expressing a wide range of emotions and sentiments. _I'm here. I've got you. I approve. Calm down. We're in this together. I am in a good mood. I like you._ But Tony knows perfectly well that it also meant 'Mine' whenever he'd rub his face against Steve. Scent marking him, and being only content when it was done.

____Even though Steve has never been his at all to claim, the instinct is still there. Tony can't walk up to him and rub the edge of his jaw against a wide shoulder, as much as he craves it in his gut some days. Tony is too weak to resist all contact though, so he allows himself five brushes a day, no more. A hand closing briefly on Steve's shoulder as he walks around him to reach his seat at the dinner table. Fingers brushing if they pass an object between them. A pat on the knee if they'd been sitting next to each other and Tony has to get up. Dragging the back of his hand down Steve's arm to interrupt a conversation. An 'accidental' shoulder bump if they're walking next to each other. A light clap on the back if he can get away with it. Making sure the tip of his shoe is touching Steve's own under the table of a meeting. His favorite move is to lean into Steve's side if they happen to share a couch, but Tony refrains from that temptation unless he's had a really shitty day._ _ _ _

He's always been a tactile person, so he hopes it doesn't seem out of the ordinary or excessive. He knows he tends to give casual touches all the time, but Tony's never been so _aware_ of every gesture. Not that Steve shows any indication of shying away from him; if anything he's more often than not close by. It's surely wishful thinking, but he even seems to lean into it regularly. Steve sometimes touches back too, like that day on the couch. Tony only restricts his touches with Steve, but he also makes sure to touch his other teammates so it doesn't stand out.

____Tony's working outside on the patio, enjoying a sunny afternoon but also the magnificent sight of Steve doing laps in the pool. Thank God for dark sunglasses because he's been shamelessly staring for a while now. There's an economy of movement in how Steve swims - slicing through the water as if he was made for it – that is mesmerizing. He looks back at his laptop when Steve gets out of the pool because it's just too much. Following the path of the water droplets as they glide down Steve's body with his eyes would lead to thoughts of doing it with his tongue which is dangerous territory when all you have to hide a boner is a swimsuit._ _ _ _

____He frowns at the email he was writing ten minutes ago when he got distracted because it makes no sense. Pepper will have his hide if Tony misses something while declining the major requirements for the engineers that are preparing the upcoming proposal on the solar-based generators. He doesn't even look up when Steve takes the lawn chair next to him, busy re-writing the email completely._ _ _ _

____"Tony?"_ _ _ _

____"Mmm?" He makes a 'UsualGreen' and 'UsualQC' note and smiles when FRIDAY fills in the blanks with SI's appropriate policies._ _ _ _

____"I hate to bother you when you're working, but could you help me with this?" Steve asks._ _ _ _

____"Sure," Tony says automatically before looking up and stopping short. Steve is extending a tube of sunscreen to him, looking sheepish at having interrupted._ _ _ _

____Tony opens his mouth to say no, he can't, he was greedy and already touched Steve five times today but thankfully what comes out is, "you heal sunburns in minutes if you ever get them."_ _ _ _

____"Doesn't mean it's comfortable when I'm lobster red," Steve replies._ _ _ _

____"Of course not." A burn is a burn, and Tony feels ridiculous having suggested he should power through the eventual pain. It's true that Steve's already bright pink in the face. Tony makes grabby hands towards the sunscreen. "Give it to me."_ _ _ _

____Steve smiles and lobs it to him before pulling his chair even closer to Tony's and turning around to sit with his back to him. "Thanks."_ _ _ _

____"Anytime," Tony says without squeaking as he sits on the edge of his own chair._ _ _ _

_Goddamn_ those shoulders are something. He squirts sunscreen in his hand, is pleased to find that it's warm from having been left in the sun, then rubs it into Steve's back.

____He's trying to keep the task as efficient as possible, Steve deserves more than a teammate taking the occasion to cop a feel. It's hard to not get a thrill at getting to caress and massage Steve, because it's fantastic to be allowed and even encouraged to touch him like this. Tony cannot help digging his thumb hard on either side of his trapezes when he finds them all knotted up. Steve makes a guttural sound of pain in answer and Tony winces as he lets go._ _ _ _

____"Shit, sorry, reflex," he says, making a pass with a soothing caress. He should stop now, he's covered all the freckled Irish skin with coconut-scented sunblock by now and the time for plausible deniability is gone._ _ _ _

____"Firstly ouch, but secondly please do that again," Steve says, voice a little rough._ _ _ _

____"Yeah?" Tony asks. He dribbles more sunscreen on Steve's neck and sees the little hairs on his nape stand up straight. It probably feels cooler for him, on warmed up skin._ _ _ _

____"Definitely," Steve says. "Reflex?"_ _ _ _

____"My back rubs are legendary but not for the faint of the heart," Tony teases as he really digs into the tension points near Steve's neck. He knows it hurts like hell, he's been cursed for it enough times, but it's generally worth it._ _ _ _

____"Jesus," Steve says, enduring like a champ. It's a deep satisfaction when Tony unknots a particularly large bump and Steve all but melts in return. "Oh God."_ _ _ _

____"Good?" Tony says, smiling wide when he gets another node to relax right after and Steve whimpers._ _ _ _

____"Magic. That feels so good."_ _ _ _

_I could make you feel so much better,_ passes through Tony's head and fuck, he must not cheapen this moment with his damn desires. He's growing hard, and it will be way too uncomfortable for everyone if he can't control himself.

____"That's the goal." He focuses on the tension in Steve's back and how to relieved the stress from those muscles instead of his own needs, and it helps._ _ _ _

____"I liked it before too," Steve says._ _ _ _

____"Before?" It's the first massage he's ever given Steve, he's certain. You don't forget something like that._ _ _ _

____"As a cat. You'd do it too, find the tense spots."_ _ _ _

____Oh, right, the kneading. He indeed did that quite a lot._ _ _ _

____"Glad it wasn't annoying," Tony says._ _ _ _

____"Are you kidding me? I loved it. I miss it in fact."_ _ _ _

____"I miss it too," Tony confesses._ _ _ _

____They shared such a casual intimacy in the ritual they'd do each morning when they found a place to rest – including the kneading - before falling asleep together. Even small as a house cat and sometimes out in the wilderness, Tony had never felt as safe as when Steve's big wolf form was curled around him._ _ _ _

____To his surprise Steve pulls away, but it's only so he can turn around and sit face to face with Tony, knees bumping together. He takes Tony's hands between his, rubs the middle of Tony's palm with his thumbs. Tony does not understand what is going on here, or at least he's trying not to get his hopes up._ _ _ _

____"Do you know what I miss the most?" Steve asks._ _ _ _

____Tony looks at Steve's face and shakes his head no, surprised at how earnest he looks, focus all on him as if this is the most important information ever._ _ _ _

____"The purring. I hoped it meant you were maybe happy to be with me, or at least comfortable._ _ _ _

____It's hard to reply to that, emotion and amazement at the fact that Steve seems to be saying he likes him back rising fast. Tony takes a risk and leans forward, thrilled when Steve does the same and meets him in the middle for a soft kiss._ _ _ _

____A million butterflies are unleashed all at once in Tony's chest. It's like being at the apex of a roller coaster: he knows with certainty that freefall is right there, so close, and that it's going to be exhilarating. Tony cannot help but smile which breaks the kiss._ _ _ _

"I was happy. I _am_ happy when I'm with you," Tony says against Steve's lips.

____"Oh thank God, I was going crazy," Steve says, taking hold of Tony's hip with one hand, circling his waist with the other arm. He encourages Tony to move forward climb on his lap which he does gladly. Okay, yes, getting embraced by Steve, secure against his gloriously bare chest, is more than fine._ _ _ _

____"Oh yeah?" Tony says, rubbing his cheek against Steve's before realizing that the move would look weird to anyone else. But Steve only tilts his head to the side and makes a pleased sound when Tony follows his movement by nuzzling his throat. God, Steve smells amazing, and it's not just the coconut from the sunscreen._ _ _ _

____"You have no idea how many times I almost kissed you just because you were near enough," Steve says. He punctuates that statement by indeed kissing Tony's temple._ _ _ _

____"Got used to licking me huh?" Tony teases as he caresses wide shoulders without restraint this time, laughing when Steve's ears turn pink._ _ _ _

____"I've wanted to lick you all over way before I was turned into a wolf," Steve says with a light smirk._ _ _ _

____Tony's breath catches at the unexpectedly direct come on. Steve leans in for another kiss that doesn't stay dry this time. When their tongues meet and Steve groans, Tony can't resist mapping his mouth thoroughly in the hope of hearing that kind of sound again (it works). Like a lot of things between them, it escalates quickly and after a few minutes of wet kisses they are grinding against each other._ _ _ _

____"God, Tony," Steve says, breathless. "I want you so much."_ _ _ _

____It's been a long time since Tony's been this turned on, but no matter what has been written about him, he's never been into exhibitionism. That they've been alone around the pool on such a nice day for this long is a miracle in itself._ _ _ _

____"C'mon, let's find a bed," Tony says._ _ _ _

____That is well received because without any warning Steve stands up, unbothered with the fact he's got Tony's extra weight in his arms. Tony laughs while looping his arms around Steve's neck and tightening his thighs around his waist._ _ _ _

____"Eager much?"_ _ _ _

____Steve's next kiss is forceful. "Hell yes," he says after ending it with a bite on Tony's lower lip._ _ _ _

____Fuck, a Steve that knows what he wants and goes for it is such a turn on. That he wants Tony this much? Makes his head turn. With long strides Steve brings him to his room and after hip checking the door closed he climbs on the mattress on his knees and gently deposits Tony in the middle of the bed. He then pushes up on his arms, looking down at Tony with pupils blown wide._ _ _ _

____"I've missed you," Steve says._ _ _ _

____"Since we got back?" Tony asks, surprised, caressing Steve's cheek and then slipping into his hair. It's very soft, just as he theorized it would be. "We've spent lots of time together."_ _ _ _

____"I know, but still. Missed how close we were."_ _ _ _

____"Same," Tony admits. He clenches his hands into Steve's hair and pulls him down towards him. "We're close now," he adds with a wiggle of eyebrows and Steve huffs a laugh before kissing him again._ _ _ _

____It's a thrill in itself to be allowed to touch and grab that perfect body (and booty). Tony also marvels at how responsive Steve is to getting a nipple pinched. They quickly lose the bathing suits, and the exhilarating feeling of skin on skin is enough to bring Tony close to the edge real fast. Steve's in the same situation, grinding down against Tony's hip with intent, leaking so much precome it eases things for the both of them. This won't last, not when they are so keyed up, so Tony sneaks a hand between their bodies to grab both of their cocks in a fist._ _ _ _

____"Oh God," Steve moans as Tony starts to pump them fast and hard._ _ _ _

____"Come on beautiful," Tony urges as pleasure ratchets up and up. If he's going to tumble off the cliff this fast, he's determined to bring Steve with him._ _ _ _

____"Tony! God, I'm so close," he pants against Tony's lips before kissing him again, fucking him with his tongue._ _ _ _

____Yeah, this is great. It will take the edge off and then Tony will take his sweet time making love to Steve like he deserves._ _ _ _

____"I've got you baby," Tony says when they break the kiss to gulp in some air, moving against each other so easily now._ _ _ _

____A few more twisting pulls on their dicks and Steve's crying out as he comes, copiously and with so much force he hits Tony on the chin. It triggers his own orgasm, so strong the world whites out for a few second, shockwaves of pleasure rushing his system. He's brought back by soft kisses to his eyes, cheeks, nose and lips. It warms Tony up as so very sweet until Steve deliberately licks the jizz on his chin, cleaning his mess, and Tony is hit by a fresh wave of arousal. It's too soon for it to give anything, though._ _ _ _

____"Slow down there, cowboy," Tony says before interrupting himself with a huge yawn. "I'm old and need a minute or two."_ _ _ _

____"You're perfect," Steve says while sliding to the side, propped on his elbow to look down at Tony adoringly._ _ _ _

____Steve soon does a courtesy swipe of their chests with a bathing suit to mostly clean them up. Still tingling all over from his excellent orgasm, Tony makes a pleased sound and stretches as long as he can, and Steve grins at him._ _ _ _

____"What?" Tony grumbles._ _ _ _

____"Nothing," Steve says, hiding his smile in Tony's neck and cuddling close._ _ _ _

____In human form they are a lot closer in size, but nonetheless Tony feels almost as enveloped by Steve's solid arms than he was by all that white fur. Almost as hot, too, as Steve still radiates heat like a space heater. Tony yawns again, and has to blink fast to keep his eyes opened._ _ _ _

____"Nap?" he asks hopefully. Frankly, Tony has barely slept in the last two weeks._ _ _ _

____"Yeah, I've got you sweetheart," Steve murmurs, scratching lightly at Tony's scalp. If he could still purr, Tony would rival a supercharged LT4 engine right now._ _ _ _

____But it's true, here like elsewhere Steve has got him. Tony lets drowsiness lure him deeper and deeper, confident that he's as safe as he can be._ _ _ _

____Not only he has undoubtedly made it home, it finally feels right._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____The End_ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Fun art, right? No wonder I couldn't resist it. As I said, MidNightTiger made an [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14781200) post and a [tumblr](http://mid-nighttiger.tumblr.com/post/174386527566/art-for-the-2018-captain-americairon-man-reverse) where you can comment on directly!
> 
> All of my gratitude to the lovely Siluria who looked this over for me even if I was at the very last minute! Thank you so much, love <3 <3 <3 <3
> 
> The title is borrowed from parts of lyrics of the classic song "Lean on me" by Bill Withers
> 
> I can be found on [tumblr](http://gottalovev.tumblr.com/) too, asks, chats and friends always welcome!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading <3


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